IOG spuds UK Southwark well
Independent Oil & Gas (IOG) announced on December 31 that the Southwark development well in the UK south North Sea had been spudded, following a delay of nearly two weeks.
The Noble Hans Deul jack-up rig was mobilised on December 3 after undergoing repairs in Dundee and jacked up at the Southwark platform on December 9. The drilling of the first Southwark well had been due to commence on December 18-19, but the schedule was delayed because of repeated technical issues with the underwater remotely operated vehicle (ROV).
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The spudding finally took place on December 30, IOG said in its latest update. The London-listed company said first gas from Southwark was still expected in mid-2022, after the installation of the 6-km Saturn Banks pipeline extension to the Southwark platform in the first quarter of this year.
After completing work at Southwark, Noble Hans Deul will move on to drill the Goddard and Kelham North/Central appraisal wells while IOG analyses reservoir and production data from the two Southwark wells, to inform plans for a third well at the site.
"We are pleased to have overcome the technical issues with ROV equipment and to have completed the spud can surveys needed to allow us to spud the first development well at Southwark, another important step for IOG in delivering our Phase 1 project," IOG CEO Andrew Hockey said in a statement.
Southwark is one of three fields IOG plans to develop as part of the first phase of a joint development project with partner CalEnergy Resources, a unit of US investment group Berkshire Hathaway. The other two are Blythe and Elgood.
The second phase of IOG's project will target the Goddard, Nailsworth and Elland fields.